Clothes dryer lint incinerator

ABSTRACT

An improved clothes drying machine of the forced air type is provided. The machine includes a centrifugal lint separator disposed in the machine air flow path downstream of the clothes receptacle which is adapted to impart a circular air flow to the lint-laden air stream entering the separator. An electrically heated coil is provided in the separator spaced radially outwardly of the separator inlet and outlet openings so that centrifugal force urges lint particles in the air stream over the coil where they are ignited and incinerated prior to entering the machine exhaust.

United States Patent 1191 Buck {54] CLOTHES DRYER LINT INCINERATOR [75]Inventor: Leo V. l luc lr, Herrinjlll. 62548 [73] Assignee: FeddersCorporation, Edison, NJ. [22] Filed: March 31, 1971 21 Appl. No.:129,837

{52] US. Cl .34/79 {51] Int. Cl ..F26b 21/06 {58] Field of Search..34/72, 79, 82, 133, 139; 55/466 {56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 1 51 Jan. 16, 1973 Primary Examiner-Charles J. Myhre AssistantExaminer-James C. Yeung Aztorney-Kane, Dalsimer, Kane, Sullivan andKurucz [5 7] ABSTRACT An improved clothes drying machine of the forcedair type is provided. The machine includes a centrifugal lint separatordisposed in the machine air flow path downstream of the clothesreceptacle which is adapted to impart a circular air flow to thelint-laden air stream entering the separator. An electrically heatedcoil is provided in the separator spaced radially outwardly of theseparator inlet and outlet openings so that centrifugal force urges lintparticles in the air stream over the coil where they are ignited andincinerated prior to entering the machine exhaust.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAH 15 I973 SHEET 2 BF 3 ATTORNEYSPATENTEDJAN 16 I975 SHEET 3 0F 3 I INVENTOR 16a 1/. EUCK BY 2w ATTORNEYSCLOTHES DRYER LINT INCINERATOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The presentinvention relates to a laundry drying machine and more particularly to alint removal system for a forced air type of clothes dryer.

Heretofore, clothes drying machines have been provided with means forcapturing lint from the lint-laden air circulating through the dryer. Atypical prior art lint separator is described and illustrated in mycommonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 2,802,282 which issued on Aug. 13, 1957for a Centrifugal Lint Separator for Laundry Machines. As is typical ofprior art devices the laundry machine described in the referenced patentserves to separate the lint from the lint-laden drying air and collectthe lint in a convenient location .for manual removal by the user of themachine.

The principal drawback of such prior art devices is that the lint mustbe periodically removed and the machine manually cleaned. Failure to doso not only reduces the efficiency of the dryer but also creates apotential fire hazard.

In view of the above, it is the principal object of the presentinvention to provide an improved laundry drying machine of the forcedair type which effectively constantly removes lint from the drying airstream and automatically disposes of it.

Another object is to provide a lint disposal system for a drying machinewhich may be incorporated into existing dryers with a minimum ofmodification required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above and other beneficial objects andadvantages are attained in accordance with the present invention byproviding a clothes dryer of the type comprising a housing containing aclothes receivingreceptacle mounted therein for rotation and havingmeans for forcing a stream of air through the receptacle with acentrifugal separator which includes means for igniting the separatedlint. The separator comprises a closed unit having inlet and outletopenings therein which communicate through suitable duets with an outletfrom the clothes receptacle and the exhaust of the dryer. The inletopening is provided with suitable fins to impart a circular air flowpattern to the lint-laden air stream entering the separator from thereceptacle and the incinerating means is spaced radially outwardly ofboth the separator inlet and outlet openings.

The centrifugal force imparted on the lint particles within the streamby the circular air flow serves to drive the lint particles over theincinerator where ignition of the particles occurs. Thereafter, as theindividual lint particles burn, centrifugal force keeps the burning lintparticles away from the separatoroutlet until such time as the lintparticles are substantially completely in cincrated whereafter the massof the remaining ash and combustion products become negligible and nolonger subjected to centrifugal force so that they may be washed out theseparator outlet to the machine exhaustby the air stream.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clothes drying machine with which thepresent invention may be. associated;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the present lint separator andincinerator taken along reference line 2-2 of FIG. 1 in the directionindicated by the arrow;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along reference lines 3-3 of FIG. 2 inthe direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along reference lines 4-4 of FIG. 3;and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational sectional view taken alongreference line 5-5 of FIG. 1 in the direction indicated by the arrows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to thedrawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a clothes dryer of the type generallydescribed and illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,802,282 and 3,447,248entitled respectively Centrifugal Lint Separator for Laundry Machinesand Drive System for Clothes Dryers, both of which are commonly assignedwith the present application. The machines disclosed in the citedpatents have been modified to the extent necessary to show the presentinvention which will be described in detail forthwith. 1

The basic construction of the present dryer is generally the same asthat disclosed in either of the referenced patents and thus, only thoseportions of the present dryer necessary to show the manner of adaptingthe present invention thereto will be described in detail.

Accordingly, it is deemed sufficient to state that the dryer is composedof a casing or housing 12, a control panel 14, and a hinged door 16providing access to a clothes receiving cylindrical receptacle 18mounted within the housing for rotation about a horizontal axis. Means20 (partially shown in FIG. 5) are provided to force a stream of heatedair through the clothes receptacle to effect drying of the clotheswithin the receptacle. The air passes through the receptacle anddischarges through apertures 22 disposed in circular array around theforward wall 24 of the receptacle. The air follows a path indicated bythe arrows to the lint separator and incinerator unit 26 which ishorizontally mounted below the clothes receptacle. Q

As was previously stated, the various components parts and thearrangement of parts generally discussed above are well known anddefinedin the dryer art. Having thus described the general environment withinwhich the present invention may be utilized, a detailed description ofthe present lint separator and incinerator will now be undertakenreferring in particular to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.

The present lint separator is defined between a pair of generallyparallel plates 28 and 30 separated and connected by a continuous wallmember 32 which is suitably connected to the plates to form a sealedunit. As shown in FIG. 3, the wall member 32 is circular in plan over amajor portion of its length. However, a pocket 34 is defined in the unitby the outward protrusion of a minor portion of the wall member. Anoutlet opening 36 is provided in plate 30 in the center of the circulararea defined by wall member 32. Outlet 36 comprises a terminal end forthe outlet duct 38 which in turn is connected to the exhaust 40 of thedryer. An inlet duct 42 which communicates with apertures 22 in thefront wall of the rotating cylinder terminates in an annular inletopening in the bottom plate 30 of the separator unit 26 concentric withand disposed about the outlet opening. That is, the inlet opening isdefined in the annular space between the outlet duct 38 and the terminalend for the inlet duct 42.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of spaced apart vanes 46 extend acrossthe inlet opening.44. The vanes 46 are designed to impart a circularmotion concentric with the wall member to the lint-laden air whichenters the separator unit 26 from the clothes receptacle 18 through duct42 and apertures 22. To this end, each of the vanes 46 includes a radialportion 48 and a portion 50 cocked in a counterclockwise direction. Itshould be thus obvious that as air flows through the inlet opening 44 itwill be deflected in a counterclockwise direction as indicated by thearrows A.

As the lint-laden air swirls about the unit, centrifugal force throwsthe lint particles 52 in the air stream radially outwardly toward wallmember 32. The lint-free remainder of the air stream is eventually drawninto the outlet 36 by virtue of the pressure differential between thedryer interior and exhaust. The outlet air flow path is shown by thearrows designated B.

A ceramic block 54 is mounted in pocket 34 and a coil of high electricalresistance wire 56, such as Nichrome wire, is mounted on the block andmaintained in position by suitable insulators 58. The ends of coil 56are connected to terminals 60 which, in turn, are wired for eventualconnection to the electrical supply source when the dryer is pluggedinto a wall receptacle and turned on. The incinerating coil 56 may beoperated at or near black heat temperature and thus, requires relativelylow wattage. This is so because there is a constant air flow across thecoil which keeps the coil relatively cool until such time as sufficientlint collects over the coil to block the air flow whereafter thetemperature of the coil will rise sufficiently to ignite and incineratethe collected lint. To protect against overheating of the incineratorelement 56, a safety thermostat may be provided.

As previously stated, as the lint particles 52 swirl about the separatorunit 26 they are urged radially outwardly toward wall member 32 bycentrifugal force. Eventually, the lint particles will be thrown intopocket 34 by virtue of the centrifugal force and will therefore passover coil 56 where the individual particles are ignited. It should beremembered that there is a continuous air stream flowing within theseparator unit so that the lint particles will be maintained in circularmotion even after ignition takes place. So long as a particular lintparticle has an appreciable mass, centrifugal force continues to urgethe particle outwardly, against wall member 32 and away from outletopening 36 thus precluding the possibility of an ignited lint particlefrom being exhausted. After the lint particle is incinerated, theresidue ash and combustion gases (which have negligible masses) aredrawn into the outlet by the I exhaust air B and washed out the machineexhaust. Thus, the present separator and incinerator requires noseparate means for disposing of ashes or residue since this is allaccomplished automatically through the normal sweeping effect of the airstream.

The present lint separator and incinerator may be used effectively withboth gas and electric dryers.

Further, the overall efficiency of the associated dryer is increasedwhen the present lint separator and incinerator is utilized since thedryer maintains a constant pressure drop across the system without anybuild-up of air resistance as lint collects as is the case withconvencomprising: a housing; a clothes receptacle mounted for rotationwithin said housing; means for forcing a stream of air through saidreceptacle to an exhaust duct of said machine; a centrifugal lintseparating unit mounted in said housing, said separator comprising apair of spaced panels joined by a continuous wall member to form asealed unit, a major portion of said unit wall member being generallycircular in plan, the remaining minor portion of said wall memberdefining a pocket extending radially outwardly from said major wallmember portion; first duct means extending between an air outlet incommunication with said receptacle interior and the interior of saidunit, said first duct including a terminal end defining an inlet openinginto said unit; second duct means extending between the interior of saidunit and said machine exhaust duct, said second duct including aterminal end defining an outlet opening from said unit; means disposedabout said unit inlet opening whereby to impart a centrifugal flow tothe lint-laden air stream entering said unit; and incinerator meansdisposed within said pocket spaced radially outwardly of said unit inletand outlet openings.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first duct andsecond duct coaxially terminate at said unit, said outlet opening isdisposed interiorly of said inlet opening, and means are provided fordirectly the air flow stream from said inlet in a circular flow pattern,generally concentric with said wall member.

3. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said incineratingmeans comprises a coil of high resistance electrical wire and meansadapted to connect said coil to an electrical supply when said dryer isconnected to an electrical outlet.

1. A clothes drying machine of the forced air type comprising: ahousing; a clothes receptacle mounted for rotation within said housing;means for forcing a stream of air through said receptacle to an exhaustduct of said machine; a centrifugal lint separating unit mounted in saidhousing, said separator comprising a pair of spaced panels joined by acontinuous wall member to form a sealed unit, a major portIon of saidunit wall member being generally circular in plan, the remaining minorportion of said wall member defining a pocket extending radiallyoutwardly from said major wall member portion; first duct meansextending between an air outlet in communication with said receptacleinterior and the interior of said unit, said first duct including aterminal end defining an inlet opening into said unit; second duct meansextending between the interior of said unit and said machine exhaustduct, said second duct including a terminal end defining an outletopening from said unit; means disposed about said unit inlet openingwhereby to impart a centrifugal flow to the lint-laden air streamentering said unit; and incinerator means disposed within said pocketspaced radially outwardly of said unit inlet and outlet openings.
 2. Theinvention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first duct and secondduct coaxially terminate at said unit, said outlet opening is disposedinteriorly of said inlet opening, and means are provided for directlythe air flow stream from said inlet in a circular flow pattern,generally concentric with said wall member.
 3. The invention inaccordance with claim 1 wherein said incinerating means comprises a coilof high resistance electrical wire and means adapted to connect saidcoil to an electrical supply when said dryer is connected to anelectrical outlet.